Friday, 10 February 2012

With Junichi away at his pre-exam cram school, poor Ai Nanasaki is feeling more than a little lonely without him as we hit the second and final half of her story arc.

Although the Founder's Festival keeps her somewhat busy, she still finds time to bemoan her loneliness and the feeling of weakness that comes from even considering such an emotion - even shopping for a Christmas present for her little brother brings back memories of Tachibana to further perpetuate her feelings of solitude.

Luckily for Ai, good news is about to creep up on her - quite literally, as Junichi runs into her in the shopping district as he makes good his escape from the cram school, albeit only after ensuring that all of his mock exams are finished. Also wracked with loneliness, Tachibana seeks out and finds his girlfriend to ensure that they get their much-cherished Christmas date, buying her Christmas present in the process. His escape might have angered those who run the cram school, but it's surely worth it as we move another step closer towards a "happy ever after" ending for Junichi and Ai. Ahhhh....

Light-hearted, cute fun has clearly been the order of the day for Amagami SS+ from what we've seen to date, and it's as you were for this instalment as we're served another little slice of sweetness to make for an unremarkable episode but nonetheless one that gives you a slight warm and fuzzy feeling throughout. Somehow, Ai and Junichi actually work rather well as a couple, and it's this dynamic that made this particular arc over-ridingly pleasant. Now, if you don't mind, I have some meat buns to attend to...